The alternative Hallowe'en countdown; or, how to give tough love to kids

I dunno what it is about the 1970s and hating kids, but they really loved to scare the hell out of them back then in the name of 'safety'. The '70s were the golden age of Public Information Films (a.k.a. PSAs in the USA); how many of us can go past an electricity pylon without proclaiming "JIMMY!" or hear Donald Pleasence's voice whispering whenever we go near a pond? They were an integral part of growing up, either by having them wheeled out during special assemblies at school or seeing them fill in the gaps in the TV schedule.

'Apaches' is in the 'special assembly' camp, considering that it's 30 minutes long. I don't remember seeing it at school, but then again I'm an inner-city kid living nowhere near farms so maybe this was shown to the rural lot. We got the one about not dicking about near substations and they got the one about not dicking about on farms. Seems fair.

If anything deserves to die, it's those fashions

 

The plot focuses on the children playing cowboys and indians (hence the title 'Apaches'), but the theme is very much in the style of the nursery rhyme 'Ten Little Indians', in which each Indian meets their demise through a very gruesome death. And boy are they gruesome. Whilst not quite in the Fulci realms of 'Building Sites Bite', none of the events make for particularly pleasant viewing. One death in particular often makes repeat-viewers skip the scene; can you guess which one?

The upload on YouTube is poor quality, so here is the link to the version on the BFI website, which not only is it in HD but also free to watch. Bonus!

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-apaches-1977-online